Charlie Crist wins St. Petersburg mayor’s race

Local media reported that Charlie Crist won St. Petersburg’s mayor’s race Tuesday night, defeating incumbent Ken Welch 62% to 38%. Welch later conceded and said voters had chosen “a different mayor” to move the city forward.

What voters were deciding

The race was shaped by hurricane recovery, affordable housing and what happens next with the Tropicana Field site. Local media reported that Crist criticized Welch’s handling of those issues, and that the 86-acre site will become available when the Rays’ lease expires after the 2028 season.

Crist also said he wanted more information before moving ahead on the rebuild and could send the project back out for bids.

What Crist said he would change

Crist campaigned on city spending too, proposing a property-tax cut and arguing that some savings could come from cutting what he called unnecessary positions at city hall.